Outdoors briefly

April 6, 2014

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department's advisory board meetings scheduled for Williston, Turtle Lake and Walhalla were postponed this past week due to inclement weather and travel difficulties. The meeting in Turtle Lake has been rescheduled for Monday, April 14. Reschedule dates for the Williston and Walhalla meetings are pending. The complete list of spring advisory board meetings is available by visiting the Game and Fish website at (gf.nd.gov).

Missouri River walleye study continues

Year one of a multi-year walleye tagging study on the Missouri River and Lake Oahe is complete, and returns are providing biologists with valuable information.

Scott Gangl, North Dakota Game and Fish Department fisheries management section leader, said more than 9,100 fish were tagged in 2013 and nearly 1,400 tag numbers were turned in by anglers.

The study area extends from the Garrison Dam to Oahe Dam in South Dakota, and involves a major collaboration of biologists and researchers from North Dakota Game and Fish, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, and South Dakota State University. The study is designed to assess walleye movements, mortality and what proportion of the walleye population is harvested annually by anglers.

In North Dakota, fish tagged in both Oahe and the Garrison Reach of the Missouri River traveled an average of 40 river miles. Fish tagged in Lake Oahe's upper and middle zones within South Dakota moved an average of 10-15 river miles, and those tagged in the lower zone moved only about 5 miles. North Dakota fish moved both upstream and downstream after tagging.

The goal is to tag 10,000 walleye in the study area in the Dakotas per year. The study targets adult walleye, each fitted with a metal jaw tag. Anglers practicing catch-and-release can write the tag number down and report it, leaving the tag on the fish when released. Anglers can either keep or release the fish.

Gangl said a small portion of the tags offer a reward to anglers to encourage them to turn them in. These tags clearly marked "Reward." Reward tags must be physically turned in to Game and Fish offices in Riverdale or Bismarck, or to a Game, Fish and Parks office in South Dakota.

NASP State Archery Tournament coming

The State Game and Fish Department invites all North Dakota schools participating in the National Archery in the Schools Program to register for the annual state tournament April 11-12 at the VFW Sports Center in Bismarck.

Schools can enter teams and individuals in the following grade level divisions: elementary (4-5), middle (6-8), and high school (9-12). Teams must have 12-24 members, with a minimum of four from each gender. If smaller schools wish to form a team, archers may participate up one grade division for team competition, but they would compete individually in their appropriate age category.

Small schools of 100 students or fewer (all grades combined) may also assemble teams from NASP schools in the same town, county or district. Schools that cannot form a team may register students for individual competition.

Recognition will be given to the top placing team in each division, the top five males and females in each division, and the top scoring male and female regardless of division. Top scoring individuals are given early registration and receive priority in flights for the national tournament, held May 9-10 in Louisville, Ky.

For more information regarding the tournament, schools should contact Long by email at jrlong@nd.gov, or call 328-6322.